Wednesday, November 30, 2011

I know this is just an anime, and the way we interpret it is a matter of opinion and subject to personal tastes. But I’ll say this – anyone who wants to argue that Chihaya doesn’t belong with Taichi, I’ll fight you right now. Name the time, name the place – I’ll be there. And in true shounen style, I’m willing to battle to the death.

Tuesday, November 29, 2011

After a retro-styled episode last week, Shinryaku Ika Musume returns to its normal S2 pattern by giving us three more conceptual and linear chapters, but they did retain that twisted element that was somewhat more subdued until last week’s episode.

Monday, November 28, 2011

Well, the pieces have certainly all come together but I’m still nowhere near certain how they all fit together. As big as this arc is, I’m not sure even two cours is going to be enough to finish it properly. Rurouni Kenshin needed 30+ episodes for its Kyoto Arc, after all.

A couple things have now been established in H x H – first, that this series is capable of being highly entertaining even without Hisoka. And second, it’s a really, really bad idea to piss off Kurapika.

Friday, November 25, 2011

Episode 20 of Mawaru Penguin Drum was cryptic and full of mysteries, and as always raised new questions with every one it answered. But as a whole, the emotional impact was as powerful as any episode in the series’ entire run.

There’s no Fall anime that guards its secrets as closely as UN-GO, and none that makes you think so hard almost every week. Whether you consider that a positive or a negative probably determines how much of a fan of this series you are.

Complete this sentence: "Chihaya x..."

Finishing order: Taichi winning comfortably, and Arata edging out Karuta for second place. Poor Harada-sensei finishes a distant fourth...
It didn't surprise me to see Taichi come out on top, though the margin did. I was surprised to see "Karuta" fare as well as it did. I like all of them and I suspect we're not going to get a romance ending anyway...

Subtlety and understatement pretty much went out the window in this week’s ep of Mashiroiro Symphony. Cute kittens abandoned, angelic Miu working herself to collapse – Manglobe pretty much went straight for the hard stuff.

Tuesday, November 22, 2011

There have been some wonderful chapters this season on Ika Musume, but with a somewhat different tone than last. Finally, we have an episode that strings three solid sketches together and feels pretty much indistinguishable from that first season.

Psychopathic, eyepatch-wearing commanders aside, I’m still wondering how seriously we should take the threat of an empire that has eight ships stolen by a little girl so easily that the thefts didn’t even make it onto the screen…